NLS removes gender-critical book from centenary exhibition

The Herald Scotland

2 days ago

It charts a five-year campaign opposing Nicola Sturgeon's bid to reform Scotland's gender recognition laws to allow so-called self-ID law.
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The collection received four public nominations for the National Library of Scotland's Dear Library exhibition — twice the number usually needed to guarantee inclusion in the 200-title display, which opened in June to mark the library's centenary.
The show, billed as a 'love letter to libraries', features the favourite books of Ian Rankin, Val McDermid, Alan Cumming, Pat Nevin and others, alongside public nominations 'that shaped their lives'.
However, documents released under Freedom of Information reveal the library's LGBT+ staff network raised concerns at a meeting with managers on May 7, later warning that the book carried 'significant risks' to relationships with authors and stakeholders and could cause 'severe harm' to staff.
They claimed it promoted 'hate speech' comparable to racism.
The book was banned from the Dear Library exhibition (Image: National Library of Scotland) On May 14, the network was told the book would be included, with 'safeguarding measures' in place.
An internal note described it as 'a book that calls for exclusion of a section of society' and asked whether calling it 'divisive' would 'minimise the harm' of including it.
The network replied that it was 'disappointed' and alleged 'the group behind it are explicitly exclusionary' — although the book is an edited collection of individual essays.
In subsequent emails, the network compared the book's stance to 'racist, homophobic and other discriminatory' viewpoints, warning of a 'detrimental' impact on staff, visitors and marginalised communities.
An urgent meeting was held the next day.
On May 27, a management paper recorded the network's warning that they would 'have no choice' but to notify LGBT+ partners of the library's 'endorsement' of the book if it was displayed.
The library's Equality Impact Assessment, completed on May 21, cited perceived harm, risk of protests, and potential backlash from external partners as reasons to exclude it — but also warned that removal risked accusations of censorship.
On May 28, the network suggested changing the public nomination process to avoid similar outcomes in future, and said some staff might refuse to represent the library at events if the book remained.
The following day, a staff member described the title as 'essentially promot[ing] hate speech', though another replied they were 'not sure it actually contains hate speech'.
National librarian and NLS chief executive Amina Shah then recommended exclusion, 'not due to the content of the book itself or the views expressed, but to the potential impact on key stakeholders and the reputation of the Library'.
Board chair Sir Drummond Bone agreed.
No equivalent review was carried out for any other book in the exhibition.
A total of 523 individual titles were submitted by the public and 200 were selected for display.
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In a letter to Ms Shah, Ms Dalgety and Dr Hunter-Blackburn said: 'The material disclosed makes clear that you, and some of your senior colleagues, allowed activists on your staff to characterise the very existence of the book as harmful, hateful and akin to racism and homophobia.
"By conceding to this internal lobbying, not only have you allowed this defamatory misrepresentation to go unchallenged, but you have in effect endorsed it.
'Surely, the role of the National Librarian is to ensure the Library is a place where ideas, debate and discussion take place.
"Yet rather than treat this book as a book, you have allowed it to be treated as a dangerous object, not safe for public display in Scotland's national library.'
They added: 'It is clear from the papers released that the library has discriminated against this book purely for the position it takes on questions of sex and gender identity, a position now confirmed to be in line with the Equality Act 2010.'
The two editors added: 'You felt unable to stand up to these threats from some of your staff, who also invoked the risk of further disruption from external activists, other parts of the local literary establishment and possibly your funders. In response, you sacrificed our book, and your principles.
'This act of cowardice removed from your exhibition the voice of one of the first two women of colour to be elected to the Scottish Parliament since 1999. It has treated the voices of women victims of male violence, already frozen out by the political process, as too shameful to share."
Ms Dalgety and Ms Hunter Blackburn called for Ms Shah and chair of the Library, Sir Drummond Bone, to meet them and explain 'why our book was deemed too harmful to the Library to be treated like any other'.
Ms Cherry said she was 'appalled' the library had 'bowed to pressure from a small group within their staff to censor a book written by feminists, sex abuse survivors and lesbians, about their experiences during an important period in Scottish recent history'.
Bathgate and Linlithgow MP Kirsteen Sullivan tweeted: "Absolutely ridiculous - censoring a book that gives detailed accounts of women who have been unjustly censored!
"I've had my copy since day one - if you've still to read it, now's the time to buy!"
In July, Ms Shah told a colleague the episode showed 'training on intellectual freedom is required' within the NLS.
A spokeswoman for the library said: 'Anyone can visit our reading rooms and access this book as well as the 200 other titles that were not selected for display. A full list of those publications is available as part of the exhibition. Libraries are vital places where people can access all kinds of publications for free, and form their own opinions.'